Abstract
Young female health professionals' (N=139) career plans were classified as vertical (V) if they aspired to advancement, lateral (L) or stationary (S) if they lacked advancement ambitions. Ls planned intensification by gaining further qualifications. Hypotheses concerning the (1) life contingencies, (2) work attitudes, and (3) personalities of the groups were tested. Most support was found for hypothesis 3. Ls and Vs had higher masculinity scores than Ss, and Ls were more androgynous. More Ls planned specialization and had already undertaken further studies. Ls and Vs attached more importance to freedom at work; groups did not differ on other work attitudes nor in their life contingencies (social roles and conflicts), although Ls and Vs specified role conflicts and more coping strategies. The results supported Lewin and Olesen's conceptualization of lateralness, but indicated that it is distinct from stationary patterns.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Almquist, E. M., Angrist, S. S., & Mickelsen, R. Women's career aspirations and achievements: College and seven years after. Sociology of Work and Occupations 1980, 7, 367–384.
Bem, S. L. The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974, 42, 155–162.
Bem, S. L. Sex role adaptability: One consequence of psychological androgyny. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1975, 31, 634–643.
Bem, S. L., & Lenney, E. Sex-typing and the avoidance of cross-sex behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1976, 33, 48–54.
Feldberg R. L., & Glenn, E. N. Male and female: Job versus gender models in the sociology of work. Social Problems, 1979, 26, 524–538.
Helmreich, R. L., Spence, J. T., & Holahan, C. K. Psychological androgyny and sex role flexibility: A test of two hypotheses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1979, 37, 1631–1644.
Holmstrom, E. I. Promising prospects: Students choosing therapy as a career. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1975, 29, 608–614.
Jones, W. H., Chernovetz, M. E. O'C., & Hansson, R. O. The enigma of androgyny: Differential implications for males and females? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1978, 46, 298–313.
Lewin, E., & Olesen, V. Lateralness in women's work; New Views on success. Sex Roles, 1980, 6, 619–629.
Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. The realtionship between androgyny and subjective indicators of emotional well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1981, 40, 722–730.
Mathewson, M. Female and married: Damaging to a therapy profession? American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1975, 29, 601–605.
Nordholm, L. A., & Westbrook, M. T. Career selection, satisfaction and aspirations among female students in five health professions. Australian Psychologist, 1981, 16, 63–76.
Nordholm, L. A., Westbrook, M. T., & Walker, B. Students entering speech pathology and other health professions: Their backgrounds, attitudes and aspirations. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 1978, 6, 60–68.
Pedhazur E. J., & Tetenbaum, T. J. Bem Sex Role Inventory: A theoretical and methodological critique. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1979, 37, 996–1016.
Renwick, P. A., & Lawler, E. E. What do you really want from your job? Psychology Today, 1978, II(12), 53–118.
Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. The Attitudes toward Women Scale: An objective instrument to measure attitudes toward the rights and roles of women in contemporary society. JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 1972, 2, 66–67.
Strahan, F. Remarks on Bem's measurement of psychological androgyny: Alternatives, methods and a supplementary analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1975, 53, 568–571.
Westbrook, M. T. A classification of coping behavior based on multidimensional scaling of similarity ratings. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1979, 35, 407–410.
Westbrook, M. T., Nordholm, L. A., & Walker, B. Male students in the health sciences: A comparison with female students and male university students. Australian Journal of Physiotherapy, 1979, 25, 17–21.
Yerxa, E. On being a member of a feminine profession. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1975, 29, 597–598.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by a Cumberland College Research Grant.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Westbrook, M.T., Nordholm, L.A. Characteristics of women health professionals with vertical, lateral, and stationary career plans. Sex Roles 10, 743–756 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287385
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287385